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Chapter 28
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A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 29
"You've got it wrong. This money isn't from the Torrey family," Ariana said.William frowned. "No?""It's the money that my father left me before he died."In her last life, Gwen had coveted her inheritance, which was why she had schemed tirelessly to gain control of the Torrey family. The reason why she had pushed her to marry Brian was also because she wanted to get her hands on the 500 million dollars.Somehow, she found out that Belinda liked Ariana and wanted her to marry Brian, so she spoke with Belinda behind Ariana's back and convinced her to ask Ariana to use the money to resolve Torrey Co.'s financial crisis.In the end, no crisis had been resolved as Gwen had run off with the money.This time, Ariana would turn the tables. Not just her inheritance—Gwen would never get anything related to the Torrey family at all."Mr. Kingsman, please hold off on investing in Torrey Co. for a few days.""If I don't invest in your company, it's going to collapse," William said in surp
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"You deliberately announced that you're breaking off our engagement at the engagement party. Then, you got the press to release that ridiculous article. Now, you're flirting openly with William Kingsman and provoking me at the auction. Didn't you do all this just to get my attention? Well, now you have it," Brian said, reaching out a hand to tilt Ariana's chin higher.Just as he leaned his face closer, Ariana laughed. "Do you think this is fair to Evelyn, Mr. Lodge?"Brian froze when he heard Evelyn's name.Seeing this, Ariana pulled herself from his grip and wound her arms around Brian's neck instead, giving him a seductive look. "You're right. I've done all this just to get your attention. But honestly, the sofa is too cramped. Why don't we move to my room?"Now that Ariana had revealed her true colors, Brian immediately shoved her aside with a look of disgust. "Stop using these cheap tricks on me, Ariana!" he said coldly."You enjoy my cheap tricks though." Ariana leaned agains
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Ariana's expression was dark. She started, "This isn't—"Gwen cut her off. "Ariana would never fall for someone else when she's so in love with you, Mr. Lodge! There must be a misunderstanding here!""It does seem that way," Brian said sarcastically as he picked up the things that had fallen to the floor. There were merchandise items along with the photos."I'm sure you can tell how much Ariana likes you, Mr. Lodge. Mrs. Lodge Senior also adores her, so the engagement…""Calling off the engagement is a done deal, Ms. Lambert. Mr. Lodge and I will end things on a nice note, and he'll stop attacking our family because of our past relationship. Isn't that right, Mr. Lodge?" Ariana gave Brian an opportunity to resolve this mess without things getting ugly.Brian held onto a bolster and asked, "When did I ever say anything about calling off the engagement?""You—" Ariana started."Also, who told you it's a done deal?" He sneered. "Are you trying to use reverse psychology on me so I'l
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The following day, Torrey Co. announced that it would be temporarily halting operations. This made the shareholders panic—halting operations generally meant that something was seriously wrong with the company's cash flow! It was highly likely there would be a breach of several contracts if the problem wasn't immediately dealt with.Everyone sat in the conference room and waited for Gwen to arrive and make a decision. She'd been managing the company, after all.Soon, John arrived. Gwen was behind him. When everyone saw her, they hurriedly asked, "What should we do now that operations have been halted, Mrs. Torrey? Everything will be over if we continue like this!"Gwen wasn't sure what to do when she saw how panicked everyone was. She'd come to the company to destroy the evidence of her embezzlement because she was afraid of Ariana checking the accounts. Who would've expected something like this to happen?It was all Ariana's fault! She'd pissed Brian off, resulting in problems with
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Brian said flippantly, "Ariana can clean up her own mess, then. She's nothing without the Torrey family."Just then, his landline rang, and he answered it. An employee from the front desk was on the line. She said, "There's a lady from the Torrey family who's here for you, Mr. Lodge."He leaned back when he heard that Ariana had arrived and snorted. "Let her up.""Yes, sir." The employee hung up.Soon, Fiona arrived outside Brian's office. She wore a white dress reminiscent of what Evelyn would wear. She entered the office to see Brian poring over some documents.He didn't even look up as he asked mockingly, "So, have you come to beg for mercy?""Mr. Lodge… It's me. Fiona Piper," she said.He frowned and looked up when he heard that it wasn't Ariana.Fiona lowered her head, her face red with embarrassment. "Mr. Lodge, I—""Who told you to come here?" he asked coldly.This took Fiona aback. She couldn't help feeling disappointed when she noticed how his current attitude was co
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Gwen's expression darkened. Ariana said, "It's not that easy being the Torrey family's matriarch, Ms. Lambert. If you don't have any ideas on how to resolve this issue with the cash flow, you're better off running away right now. Don't say I didn't remind you."Gwen was finding it harder and harder to put up a nice front. She'd worked herself to the bone for the Torrey family and had outlived Carson, yet Torrey Co. was now facing a crisis. How could she possibly pay off the Torrey family's debts before she benefited from it? It was not going to happen!"I know you're sensible and kind, Ariana. You wouldn't make me pay off the debts alone, would you? Think of it as me begging you—please apologize to Mr. Lodge. Torrey Co. will be fine once he relents and lets us off the hook!" she said.Ariana smiled at Gwen's pleading. She said, "It's not impossible for me to head over there.""I knew you were the best, Ariana! You won't leave the company to die!""Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
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An hour later, Ariana arrived at Lodge Co. She wore a white camisole underneath a denim jacket, and she paired it with a pair of denim shorts.The employees there couldn't help staring at her. Their eyes were almost popping out of their sockets.Ariana kept her shades on as she approached the front desk. She said, "I want to see Mr. Lodge."When the employee saw a gorgeous woman with long legs, she put her guard up and asked, "I'm sorry, miss, but do you have an appointment?"Ariana took off her shades when she realized the employee didn't recognize her. "I'm Ariana Torrey."The employee was stunned. "M-Ms. Torrey?""Can I head upstairs now?""Y-Yes! Of course!" The employee hurriedly led Ariana to the elevator."Did you guys see that? That was Ms. Torrey!""Why is she dressed like that?""She's gorgeous! Why haven't I ever noticed how pretty she is?""She must be doing this to make Mr. Lodge happy. We all know she imitates Ms. Granger's outfits to a T. I bet this is somethi
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"A-Ariana…" Fiona stood up, frightened when she saw Ariana. She was about to back away when Brian grabbed her wrist."Where are you going?" he asked leisurely. "You're not done with my shoes. Get on your knees and continue wiping until I tell you to stop.""…Yes, Mr. Lodge." Fiona got back on her knees and continued wiping Brian's shoes.He leaned back in his seat and looked at Ariana. "Plenty of people can do the things that you don't want to, Ariana. In fact… They might do it better than you can.""I'm not here to let you nauseate me, Mr. Lodge," Ariana said coldly.Brian looked unfazed. "I can act like nothing happened as long as you kneel before Eve and apologize to her. The engagement party will go on as usual, and I'll give the Torrey family a huge investment."He snorted when Ariana didn't speak. "It's just getting on your knees and apologizing—your knees should be used to this treatment, right? It's not like you haven't done it in the past. Can't you do it now?"He got u
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A Bride’s Revenge: No Longer the Backup Chapter 210
"Um, Ms. Torrey and her peers got into a minor conflict. She went to the hospital to treat a hand injury…" Christopher muddled through.He continued prodding, "Mr. Lodge, Ms. Torrey can't always be taking time off school. The college is a place for studying. Do you think…"All Christopher wanted was to get onto Brian's good side. After all, Ariana must have offended Brian for him to call off the engagement.Anyone in their social circle was keenly aware of the situation. As the college dean, Christopher felt the need to express her stance.With one word from Brian, he could immediately expel Ariana from Glea College."Don't you even care when one of your students was hurt on campus?" Brian's voice was as cold as winter.The remark caught Christopher off guard. He could not wrap his head around Brian's anger. Ariana was the one who offended Brian. Wasn't it normal for everyone to be throwing stones at her?Still, Christopher obliged and said, "That's true. Mr. Lodge, you're right
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"That works. See you, Mr. Kingsman!" Ariana gave him a grateful nod before leaving campus.Meanwhile, Belinda was throwing a fit at the Lodge residence."Ridiculous! Who gave you the permission to carry it out?" Belinda slammed her fist on the table. Never had she expected Brian to host a press conference to call off his engagement to Ariana when she wasn't paying attention.Brian sat on the couch without a word. Emily chimed in, "Mrs. Lodge Senior, what happened was—""Shut up!" Belinda snapped at Emily. "I made you work for Brian so you could keep an eye on him! But look at you! You're letting him do as he wishes. How could he not discuss such a serious decision with me? "Brian, do you still see me as your grandmother?""Grandma, I've never liked Ariana. She was the one who suggested calling off our engagement. All I did was to grant her wish," Brian revealed in an icy tone.Belinda nearly choked from the anger. Emily hurriedly held her. "Mrs. Lodge Senior, calm down…"It
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William did not even once look at Evelyn. The words got caught in her throat. She realized that William was not going to be nice to her.If she continued explaining, she would only humiliate herself.William reached out and took Ariana's waist. A frown crept onto his brows when he saw the awful bruises on her skin. "This is serious. You need to go to the hospital."Maddie didn't want to be implicated, and she shot Evelyn a look, asking for help. "I-I didn't step hard on her hand at all!"Evelyn chimed in, "Maddie accidentally stepped on Ms. Torrey's hand. We will pay for her medical fees.""This is not a problem of medical fees," William sneered. "I will obtain the security footage of the library. If you have intentionally hurt Ariana, I shall make a police report. The college will penalize Maddie according to the police's assessment.""Mr. Kingsman, I didn't do it on purpose! I—" The color drained from Maddie's face when she realized the gravity of the situation.Her family had
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"Look who I've bumped into—Ariana Torrey, who's just been dumped by Brian Lodge!" Lila deliberately raised her voice, attracting everyone's attention in the otherwise silent library.Ariana did not want any drama. She bent over, ready to pick up her books, but Maddie stepped hard on her hands with her high heels. As if that weren't enough, Maddie smugly ground her heel down with a cruel twist of her ankle.A searing pain shot through Ariana's body. She struggled to get up—not that Maddie would let her.Lila smirked. "You've flaunted your status as the future Mrs. Lodge on campus. Now that the engagement has been called off, why aren't you showing off as Ariana Torrey instead?""She is a nobody now. Everyone knows the Torreys are on the brink of bankruptcy. Their family business is on the verge of failing. She's reached her end after Brian Lodge called off all their business partnerships and their engagement. I bet she can't even pay her tuition fees." Maddie put on a mocking smirk.
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"If that's what you think, suit yourself." She said nonchalantly, "You've always seen me as a gold digger. Mr. Lodge, you described me as a vain and greedy social climber. Of course, I'll go to a richer man. Mr. Smith is a much more compatible candidate than you."At least Mr. Smith loves me and doesn't flirt with other women. And he doesn't have any children out of wedlock."Brian had never clarified the rumor that spread in Gleaston about Evelyn going through an abortion for him. Everyone in their social circle merely assumed that Evelyn was pregnant with Brian's child.In Ariana's past life, she was mocked as the baby-making machine of the Lodge family. She was nothing but a joke compared to Brian's beloved Evelyn."Who told you I had a child with Evelyn? Ariana, you—"Emily immediately went up to stop Brian. "Mr. Lodge, Ms. Torrey is only saying that out of anger. Please stay calm.""I don't care whether or not you and Evelyn shared a child. You love her; that's the truth. If
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"Go on.""I have no clue about any illegal activities you're involved in.""And?""Shouldn't you offer me a safe exit, now that you've dragged me into this mess?""Are you saying I have to vindicate you after I'm sent to prison?""I'm not guilty in the first place!""So, what are you talking about?""You—"Ariana was baffled. Victor was playing dumb and betting on her to not overtly mention the money laundering.The moment she let slip, she would become an accomplice of his, and she wouldn't be able to defend herself if she got arrested.Amused at her flushed face, Victor quipped, "Just now, you claimed you were unafraid of me. What's with the sudden fear? "The higher the risks you take, the higher the returns. Fear will only make you a pawn in the game, and people take advantage of that. It's been a dog-eat-dog world since the beginning of time."Ms. Torrey, you need to grow stronger than Brian Lodge if you wish to call off the engagement. Else, you'll get married and be
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"Ms. Torrey, please enjoy." Victor gestured at the dishes before them.Staring at the T-bone steak with blood seeping out of the meat, Ariana lost her appetite."Mr. Smith, I'm not hungry." Technically, she would never eat dinner. Apart from the few times she had to attend social events, she usually did not take dinner.Victor sat from across her and placed his slender fingers on the table. He gently swirled the contents in the wine glass, saying, "Do you know what happened to the last guy who tried to read my mind?"She remained silent.He went on, "I hate it when people try to read me. I despise those who think they're smart. You should feel thankful that I decided to work with you instead of getting rid of you.""Well, I'm beyond grateful to you." Ariana couldn't even force a smile. She had tried to get Victor to work with Evelyn, but he pulled her into this mess instead.She wondered what Victor saw in her. Although Evelyn was the only daughter of the Granger family, Evelyn
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Brian had not gone home after leaving the nightclub, as he struggled to face Ariana. He must have had too much to drink, or he wouldn't have allowed Ariana to touch his abs! How dumb was that?"Mr. Lodge, are you going back?"Emily pushed the office door open at the wrong time, which earned her a glare from Brian.She quickly changed her tune. "Got it. I'll book the hotel room for another night.""Wait a minute!" He stopped Emily.She went up to him. "Mr. Lodge, anything else?""How's Ariana doing today?""Oh, Ms. Torrey?" Emily gave it some thought and answered, "She left the house early in the morning. Nothing special.""Did she not ask about me?""Not at all, but she told the staff not to prepare dinner because she'll be home late."Brian's expression immediately fell. How could she not come home for dinner? Had she forgotten her promise to him in no time?He reflexively took out his phone to check in with her, but scenes from the nightclub flashed across his mind. Inst
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In truth, Ariana had given Gwen the 90 million dollars, which meant that Gwen would need to pay back the capital, another 90 million dollars, and the high interest.Ariana was definitely winning.But she did so not because she needed the money. She wanted a reason to put Gwen behind bars, as she didn't want to see Gwen around her."Anyway, thank you, Mr. Smith…" Ariana reached out to grab the contract, but he easily raised his arm, and the contract was immediately out of her reach due to their height difference."I'm not helping you for free. Where's the stuff I want?"She pulled out a contract and handed it to him. "Here's one of the land parcels owned by the Torreys in the city, but unlike Evelyn, I'm not rich. I can't give it to you for free.""I thought we agreed on one billion dollars? Not one cent less."Her smile froze when he made that remark. She always thought he was bluffing.In the past life, he had bought a parcel of land from the Grangers with one billion dollars.
